Video: Right Ideas: Robert Nisbet

National Association of Scholars

Robert Nisbet (1913–1996) was an American sociologist, conservative thinker, and the author of dozens of books over the course of his long career, including The Quest for Community: A Study in the Ethics of Order and FreedomThe Sociological Tradition, and Conservatism: Dream and Reality.

Counted among the great 20th century conservatives, Nisbet’s thought was unique and useful to thinkers across the political spectrum. In its obituary of Nisbet, the New York Times noted that "although he was widely hailed as an intellectual mentor of the American right ... the brand of conservatism he espoused was so rarefied and remote from modern political trends that one of his first major works, The Quest for Community, first published in 1953, became something of a cult classic among counterculture radicals."

Joining us to discuss this unique thinker is Brad Birzer, Professor of History and Russell Amos Kirk Chair in American Studies at Hillsdale College; Samuel Goldman, Associate Professor of Political Science at George Washington University and Literary Editor of Modern Age; and Luke C. Sheahan, Assistant Professor of Political Science as Duquesne University and Editor of the University Bookman.

The discussion is moderated by John Sailer, Research Fellow at the National Association of Scholars.


Image: Intercollegiate Studies Institute

  • Share

Most Commented

July 12, 2023

1.

Scott Gerber’s Case in Context

Ohio Northern University seems intent on chiseling into granite its protocol for getting rid of a faculty member who disagrees with the institution’s woke ideology, even when the......

July 19, 2023

2.

On Collegiality

Increasingly, collegiality is being added to the traditional triad of excellence that wins professors tenure. And now, the issue of collegiality is a fraught minefield, and has become&#......

June 20, 2023

3.

Letter: Academic Freedom Requires More Than Words

There is still no word from Ohio Northern University administrators after their removal of Professor Scott Gerber without due process—a clear violation of Gerber's rights......

Most Read

April 14, 2023

1.

Faculty Fight for Academic Freedom at Harvard

While many faculty quietly endorse views they privately disagree with, Harvard faculty band together to resist administrative overreach, overzealous students, and protect academic freedom....

May 15, 2015

2.

Where Did We Get the Idea That Only White People Can Be Racist?

A look at the double standard that has arisen regarding racism, illustrated recently by the reaction to a black professor's biased comments on Twitter....

October 12, 2010

3.

Ask a Scholar: What is the True Definition of Latino?

What does it mean to be Latino? Are only Latin American people Latino, or does the term apply to anyone whose language derived from Latin?...